Difference in Class
by The-Pocket-Llama
Summary: 1800's AU; After rescuing an errand boy by the name of Eren Jeager from certain death, the powerful Lord by the name of Levi Rivaille's eyes are opened as he sees the true difference between the poor and the wealthy. Future Ereri romance and one sided Revetra. More chapters to come!
1. Chapter 1

"So annoying…" Muttered Levi Heichou under his breath as his carriage bounced on the cobblestone roads. Going into town short notice always gave him a headache. The bustling people, laughing and yelling of small children, and the cries of various shopkeepers was enough to make his head feel like it was going to split open. Checking his pocket watch again, he grumbled internally. It had taken an extra twenty minutes to get here. He hoped Michel had a good reason for this this. His irritable thoughts subsided when the carriage finally stopped at their destination.

"Let's go, Reiner." Rivaille said with a cold voice as he looked towards his blonde bodyguard and faithful servant. Reiner gave a nod and opened the carriage door, giving a bow as Levi strode passed him, giving a look of detest and anger towards the carriage driver. "Mr. Zakarious," His voice lowered to an almost threatening tone, "That took longer than I expected. Please explain yourself."

Zakarious didn't waver at his employer's harsh tone, "There was a carriage accident on the normal route. We needed to take a detour, Sir."

"Make sure to warn us next time." Levi snapped before turning towards the reason why they came to this filthy city. "Come, Reiner."

"Yes sir."

* * *

"Mr. Smith." He glanced at the man behind a large counter. Unlike most others in the city, he was a fat old man, obviously making good business being within an hour of most of the wealthy families in England.

"Ah, Mr. Rivaille!" He said with an obviously forced smile, "What brings you here today?"

"My cane. I received a letter that it was supposed to be arriving today." He gave a cold look towards the old man behind the dark oak counter. The man looked flustered as he glanced behind him at the canes that had been delivered.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry sir. I think our worthless errand boy hasn't come back from getting it lacquered upon your request. My apologies." He cowered a bit, glancing at Reiner with a look of utter terror. Levi just sighed, turning back to face the door.

"We'll be taking our leave then. Come Re-"

As if on cue, a dark brown haired teenager burst through the door. A tan parcel was held in his arms, and sweat beaded down his dirt covered face. 'Disgusting' thought Levi as he looked at the child in skepticism. Mr. Smith gave an irritated growl, moving from behind the counter towards the teen.

"M-Mr. Smith I-I got here as soon as I can- There was a carriage accident and-" Before the delivery boy could explain himself the package was ripped from his hands and a fist collided with his face, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head against the door.

"You useless brat!" The old man grabbed the child from his hair, pulling him away from the entrance, "Do you have any clue how important my customers are! You dirty trash!" With that he planted a kick to the kids gut, successfully knocking the wind out of him with an audible gasp. Levi stood there in disbelief, despite his outwardly bored appearance. Mr. Smith turned his attention back towards Rivaille, handing him the cane. "Forgive the boy. I'll make sure he's adequately punished for wasting your time." He gave a small nod of good-bye before turning back to the kid, kicking him in the side once more.

Levi looked into the kid's turquoise eyes as he was continuously kicked by the older man. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and what should have reflected pain and embarrassment reflected something different from what he'd ever seen on such a young face.

Hatred.

Burning fire in those crisp blue eyes directed right towards Levi.

It was like the child was daring him to turn around, to go back to his carefree life.

The eye contact was broken off as he received another strong kick to the gut, coughing at the lack of air entering his lungs.

"Mr. Smith, leave him." Levi spoke nonchalantly, raising his voice loud enough to be heard over the old man's screams. "He's certainly suffered enough for his mistake. There was a carriage accident on the main road after all." The boy and Mr. Smith had matching looks of disbelief and awe. Levi strode over to the kid; allowing Reiner to shove the old man out of their way.

"What's your name, brat." Levi asked, kneeling on one knee to get a better look at him. He didn't look any older than 17 and his patched up clothes looked awkward and too short for his long, lanky frame.

"E-Eren Jeager, Sir. I-I'm sor-" His own coughing and gasping for breath cut him off. Levi almost gave a look of pity.

"Tch… Reiner, carry him to the carriage. We can't have him dying in the streets like this…" He left the payment for his cane on the counter before following Reiner out the door. "Thank you for your business, Mr. Smith, but I believe we'll be receiving service elsewhere from now on."

And with that the three were gone.

* * *

Where are you taking me?

Eren's head rested in the large blonde man's lap. He was too weak to sit up. Blinking was almost painful. He knew the dark haired man in front of him was talking, but he couldn't make any sense of it, let alone reply if he was asked anything.

Why are you doing this?

It felt like years were going by in seconds. The white noise around him dulled his senses, made it impossible to focus. His eyes slid shut as exhaustion took over his body.

Am I dying?

The next thing he knew he was waking up in a soft, unfamiliar bed. He could smell clean linen and a soft, almost lavender scented perfume. He couldn't even remember the last time he was this comfortable. He curled up on his side, but shooting pain forced his eyes open. "F-Fuck…" He muttered, instinctively reaching a hand to hold his painful side. Much to his surprise, there were large, soft bandages all around his torso. Blinking a few times he sat up, only to be face to face with a brown haired girl with large glasses, staring at him intently.

"A-ah!" He let out a surprised yell, looking at the woman in a mix of terror and confusion. She smiled so wide it looked awkward on her rounded face.

"Aha~~ Look who's finally awake!" She grinned, getting up to spin around the room excitedly. She had a white lab coat over a clean button up shirt and a brown skirt. She must be a servant, he thought to himself, but his thoughts were recollected once she talked to him again, "You really gave all of us a scare~ I wasn't even sure if I could even revive you…" She looked at him with watchful eyes again. "Eren, correct~?"

"Y-yes." He gave a small nod, "Um… where am I?"

She giggled at his question, taking his hands into her own. "You're in Lord Levi's manor~ He saved you from almost certain death!"

Eren thought for a moment, trying to recollect his memories from earlier. He was running late to drop off something… He was kicked to the ground… and there were grey eyes looking down at him… Cold, beautiful grey eyes. He looked back up at the woman, who was gazing into his eyes. He couldn't help but blush at her attention.

"A-and who are you?" He asked, looking away from the strange woman. She gave another giggle, this one chilling Eren to the bone. She stood up, pushing her gasses up a bit.

"Who am I…? WHO AM I~? I am Hanji Zoe, Levi's personal physicist~!" She said with a semi-demonic smile. Eren imidiately regretted his decision to ask her about herself. "I am here to make sure Lord Levi is safe from whatever illnesses may come~ though my true obsession… my true calling…" She grinned, "Is the human mind~. Oh how I'd love to be able to poke at it and draw out all its secrets with the tip of a scalpel~. But never mind me~ I was told by Levi to "get that poor, filthy brat in the bath before he wrecks my clean sheets." Don't take it personally, though~ He's just like that~." She smiled sweetly, offering Eren her hand.

"T-Thanks…" He took her hand and she led him to the bathing room.

(A/N; Thanks for reading~ This is my first historical AU, so I really hope I did okay... ;_; I also hope it was pretty obvious as to who the characters were and what they were portrayed as. This may be 7 or 8 chapters long; I have quite a few ideas for character development in my head for this story.)


	2. Chapter 2

Eren's bath was as refreshing as it was embarrassing; with Hanji refusing to leave his side despite his obvious awkwardness. "What would you do if your lungs seized up and you drowned? It's better that I'm here~" She said in a matter a fact tone, her back turned towards the bath to spare what little dignity he had left.

After his bath, Eren couldn't help but sigh in defeat as he needed help getting dressed in the shirt and pants that were offered to him. "Hey, Hanji?" He looked at her, his face completely serious. "Why didn't Levi leave me when he could have? Why bring me here?" _Wherever here is… _he added in his head. She just shrugged in reply.

"I dunno, poppet~. You'd have to ask Lord Levi if you want to know~." She smiled as she finished up dressing him, polishing the look with a white bow around his neck. Jeager blushed slightly, trying to ignore the feminine nick-name. She continued on talking, looking over his back and chest; "Are you doing okay? It doesn't hurt too badly when you move, right?"

Eren shook his head. "I'm okay. Could you do me one more favor, though?" he looked at her with determination in his bright blue eyes, "Take me to Levi, please."

* * *

As Eren approached Levi's study with Hanji leading the way, sweet melodious music filled the air. It was so strange in comparison to the street performers he was used to hearing. Instead of a fast, happy beat, the sound of somber violin strings caused him to shiver, the hairs of his neck standing on end. It got louder and louder as they walked through the empty halls, eventually stopping at the study. Eren peeked in to see book cases that went up to the ceiling and a large desk that was in the center of the room. White curtains were drawn at a large window, preventing light from the mid-morning sun from getting in. Levi was seen in front of the desk. With a violin in hand, his wrist moving in fluid movements, and his eyes closed in a peaceful state, Eren had to admit it was a beautiful sight. When he took another step closer the sweet music came to an abrupt stop.

"It's good to see you're awake, Eren." A voice said from behind the brunet, causing him to jump. _How long was he standing by the door?_ Eren felt a twinge of embarrassment for not noticing the man earlier.

"T-Thank you sir!" He smiled, trying his best to show respect.

"What did you come here for, Eren?" Levi looked bored as he set his violin back into the case that was placed on his desk.

"I was actually going to ask you the same thing…" Eren muttered, looking down.

"Look at your elder when you're talking. And speak up." Levi commanded in a none-too-pleased tone.

"Sorry Sir." Eren said standing up straight now to look into _'his elder's' _eyes, afraid that if he messed up, he would be back on the street. Levi took a step forward, glancing at the blonde and Hanji.

"Reiner, Hanji, give us a moment." He said; his voice less sharp as it had been previously. Eren made a mental note of the blonde's name, but continued to look right at the dark haired man in front of him as the others left. "So Jeager, what was your reason for interrupting me in my own study? I hope you have a decent excuse."

Eren tried his hardest not to show weakness towards the cold-hearted aristocrat in front of him. It was tougher to do than he originally thought it would be. Those steel-grey eyes seemed to pierce into his very soul, shining an unfamiliar emotion as Eren opened his mouth to speak, his words echoing through the large study. "I would like to know why you didn't leave me to die, Sir." Levi noticed the sparkle in the boy's eyes, raising a brow slightly.

"Would you have rather died and been left to rot in the streets? Tch… most people would be grateful for what I did, brat." He sounded irritated, though his face showed more amusement than anything. "I'm not going to explain my mindset to a commoner like you. Get used to that fact now."

"Y-yes sir." Eren's voice waivered in confusion before he recomposed himself to ask another question, "When shall I take my leave, sir?"

"Hm… well that depends on you. Do you have family to go home to?"

Sadness flickered through Jeager's eyes; his expression becoming as obvious as if he had said it out loud.

"No, then. Any friends? A place to stay?"

Eren just shook his head.

"Well…" Levi took a step closer to the brunette, "I have a deal for you. You're free to decline if you feel it is necessary, but I believe it will be quite fair all things considering. You may stay here as long as you'd like. I will pay for any food and clothing that you will need, and any medicine that your side with cost you. The only catch…" He paused a bit, eyeing Eren up and down, "You will need to work for me as a servant; someone who will clean my entire castle for me, to be specific. You'll reside with the others downstairs and will not refer me as anything but Lord Heichou or Sir. You will never disobey an order from me either. Break any condition and I will not hesitate to kick you out. So do we have a deal?"

Eren thought about it for but a brief second before giving a nod.

"I accept your deal, sir."

"Good. Now get to work, brat."

((Shorter chapter, but we needed some story progression, god dammit! Into to Levi's fiancé, Eren's past, and more next chapter.))


	3. Chapter 3

Eren Jaeger couldn't help but hum softly to himself as he worked; dusting the huge bookshelves that occupied his master's study was no easy task, but the soft tune was enough to keep him motivated. _Armin used to sing this song all the time… I wonder how he's doing? _Eren couldn't help but frown at the thought. Armin had been his best friend during his time on the streets. They would combine money to pay for food, hatch plans to steal if they couldn't, even sleep next to each other for protection and warmth. The fact that he had no idea where Armin was, let alone if he was alive, made his stomach churn.

"Oi, Jaeger. I thought I told you to get done quickly." The familiar voice of Levi Heichou rang through the air, nearly causing Eren to fall off the ladder which he was working from.

"S-sorry sir!" He said as he stepped down from the ladder. "There was a lot more work than I thought…" He turned towards Lord Heichou to see another man standing next to him. He was tall, muscular, and blonde; too well dressed to be a servant. "Um…?"

"Hm? And who's this? A new servant?" The blonde raised a thick eyebrow in Levi's direction, "Awfully young to be doing all this work, Rivaille." Levi ignored his comments and instead kept his gaze on Eren, who was analyzing the two of them.

"Mind your manners, Eren. Don't stare." Levi said in an annoyed, motherly tone. "This is Erwin Smith. He's a friend of mine as well as my business partner. Now we have some work to get done so if you wouldn't mind taking your leave, I'm sure Reiner could use your help in the kitchen."

"Now, now, Rivaille, it's never too early for a boy his age to understand a bit of politics and business." Erwin said, giving a charming smile towards Eren. "Besides, you weren't much older than him when you were given your family's business. Let the boy learn." Levi gave a small sigh of defeat, running his fingers through his hair irritably.

"Fine. You can stay, Jeager. Make yourself useful and serve us some tea while you're at it."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

"So," Erwin said, leaning back in one of the large armchairs and taking a sip of tea, "How has Petra been?"

Levi made an annoyed "Tch", "We're not here to discuss my personal life, Erwin. How is the situation in America looking?"

"Hostilities are growing. They're assuming a war will break out soon enough. A better question is… Which side are you going to throw your support behind?"

"Don't be so daft… I don't support either one. The one who can pay the most will get the firearms, if that's what you're referring to; I assume it'll be the Union. They have more industry than the south, but that also means they can make their own wares if they think my demands are too high."

After listening to their conversation go on for a few minutes, Eren's curiosity got the best of him and he spoke up, "Sir Levi, why do you care so much about a war in America?"

Levi couldn't help but appreciate the boy's attentiveness and innocence when it came to such topics.

"Because I, like many others, make money off of other country's misfortunes. In fact, I help start conflicts by supplying my firearms to rebel groups, military leaders; whoever pays the highest. I don't try to dwell on what cause I'm supporting because I honestly don't want to know, nor do I care. I refuse to let my feelings interfere with an investment." Levi said coldly, taking a sip of his tea.

Eren looked down, processing what he had said. "That's… that…" He trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"What was that, Jeager?" Levi raised a brow, glancing at the boy in front of him.

"That's wrong, Levi!" He shouted, blue eyes staring into grey ones, "You shouldn't just give away guns that could kill people for money; especially when you don't even know what for! It's just wrong!"

Silence.

After his outburst, the room, no, the entire manor was quiet enough Eren could only hear the sound of his own breathing. _That's it. _He thought to himself, _I'm done for. Levi's going to kill me for talking back like that. Shit._

After a long pause, Levi sighed, "You're right, Jeager. It is wrong… but in a world like this you don't have time to stop and let your emotions interfere." He gestured his hand towards the door, "A brat like you wouldn't be able to understand. Why don't you go help prepare lunch?"

Without a word, Eren gave a small nod before walking out of the room. He stopped a few steps down the hall, his attention captured by a soft laugh that came from the study.

"Where on Earth…?" He could hear Erwin laugh, "Is that the boy you wrote about? I can see what you mean. He has fire in his eyes, that's for certain. If you don't mind my asking, why did you choose to save him when you did? It's not like you to just pluck common folk off the street to become servants. What's so different about this boy?"

Eren listened intently; finally the answer he had been waiting for.

"Tch. Helping filthy brats like him make for good publicity in the eyes of the people." Eren heard Levi say, "It's nothing more than a coincidence that it was a brat like him."

Eren couldn't help but feel disappointed. The few months he had spent in the manor had been some of the best since his mother passed away. A part of him wanted to believe Levi saw something in him that no one else did; though he knew now it was childish to think that way. Eren, his heart suddenly heavy, turned to go check on lunch like he was told, not wanting to hear any more.

"Although…" Levi added, taking a sip of tea, "His passion, however annoying as it may be, is quite admirable…"

"Sounds like you respect the boy."

"Respect? He's a servant, Erwin, don't be stupid. The most I do is enjoy his company. In fact, I may make him head butler… if he learns how to hold his tongue."

"Hm… I believe you're just lucky it was me and not her highness."

"Shit. Don't even joke about that."

((It's finally done. Uhg. I need to stop making such short chapters, but ya'know, school comes first. I decided to introduce Erwin before Petra because honestly I like him more. Eventually she'll show up, trust me. She's crucial to the plot and needed if we ever want to see Eren and Levi together. Also, thanks to all the reviewers. You really make me smile and keep me motivated. :'3 Hopefully school won't be a bitch next month so I can get the chapter up quicker. See you all next time!))


End file.
